Friday, October 30, 2015

Masterfully written, Wouldn't Change a Thing is a literary triumph for author Stacy Campbell. This tale of one family's struggle to cope with and understand the truth of mental illness and the effects of long-kept secrets is nostalgic and heart-rending. The home town setting is as much a character as the people whose lives we are allowed to glimpse into. This was a seamless, hard-to-put-down read that I would definitely recommend to those who love a good story.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

So, I've decided to do NANOWRIMO this year. This is a big decision for me because I am pretty much allergic to deadlines and page counts, but I'm gonna take a shot at it and here's why:

In the past, I've always put limits on myself, believing there are certain things I can't do--write to a deadline, write to a certain word count goal, write when I don't feel like, write without inspiration. Well, I've decided to work toward taking the limits off of my life as I believe it will take my writing to a new level and I also believe it's vital to the business side of writing that I am able to write to different things and in different situations.

So I'm taking the plunge!!

Photo via http://www.createherstock.com

I attended a NANOWRIMO launch party this past Saturday and had a blast and now I'm really looking forward to the write-ins and camaraderie of trying to reach a common goal with other writers. The book I'll be working on is titled, No Pain No Gain, the second book in a new trilogy I'm writing centered around women over 40 finding love. I just finished writing the first draft of book one of the series and I am so excited about it!!

I plan to bring you all along on this journey with me so be on the lookout for updates!!

Friday, October 23, 2015

When Leah Norwood finds the body of Donald Collins in the city park, she doesn’t know he is a distant relative. Young Donnie was a jewel thief and a career criminal. Hidden in the lining of his suit jacket was an exact replica of a ring that has been in Leah’s family for over a hundred years. After her home is burglarized, the sexy chief of police is convinced the ruby ring has something to do with the murder.

Leah wants to find out what happened to Donnie, but why would someone kill for a hundred year old ring? She discovers a connection between Donnie and the drug-dealing Cantono family, between the Cantono family and a jewelry appraiser, and between the jewelry appraiser and one of her own employees. Chief Griggs might be onto something. All clues lead back to the family ring.

Leah loves a good mystery. Can she find the killer before the killer strikes again?

EXCERPT

“You didn’t know the victim?” Griggs asked when he returned his attention to me.

“I don’t think so, but I didn’t really see his face.” I paused and then asked, “Who was he?”

“We don’t know,” he replied. “He didn’t have any identification, no wallet, no keys, nothing.”

“How did he get here?”

“Why do you want to know?”

“Just curious,” I said innocently.

Griggs’ eyes were full of amusement as he looked at me, and Reddish laughed. They both know all about my curiosity. I love a good mystery. I read a lot of detective novels and try to solve the mystery along with the protagonist. Movies that feature a mystery are my favorite. If a crime makes the news, I take notes and follow along. I fancy myself a sideline detective. That trait may have been what got me almost killed just before Christmas.

David Reddish is a hard man to read. He has been a police officer for over thirty years and a detective for the Reed Hill Police Department for eight having moved to town from Dallas. He is a large man, attractive, with broad shoulders and flat stomach. He has skin the color of coffee with a dash cream, but it is his eyes that tell you he’s not someone you want to cross. They are hard and calculating.

“Was he murdered?” I asked softly.

“Oh, yes. It was murder,” Griggs replied.

The last time I found a body it had never occurred to me that the police would consider me a suspect. As a law-abiding citizen, I had just assumed that people knew I was innocent. My experience with the police showed me I was wrong. I looked at both Griggs and Reddish.

“Please tell me you don’t think I killed him.”

Griggs snorted. “No, we don’t think you killed him. He was taller than you, and his neck was broken. No way could you have done that.”

“It was fast and neat,” Reddish added and then turned to Griggs. “Probably someone with military or combat training.”

“Someone who knows how to kill with their hands,” Griggs said softly.

I swallowed. Candace had shot and killed two people in December and tried to kill me twice. She had been crazy, her behavior unexpected and unpredictable, which had made the situation scary. This sounded worse. A person who was calm and rational murdering someone with their bare hands was chilling. And I couldn’t forget about the weird shoe thing.

“Did you find his shoes?”

“No,” Griggs replied turning toward me.

“Why would someone want his shoes?”

“Who knows? There wasn’t much of a struggle although there were multiple sets of footprints. But all appeared to be made by people wearing shoes.” He turned away from me and back toward Reddish. “Between Leah and her dog stomping around, I doubt we’ll get any viable footprints.”

“Hey,” I said indignantly. Both men ignored me.

“Let’s keep the area secure anyway,” Griggs continued. “Send a team out to see if they can find anything. Maybe the shoes will show up somewhere else in the park.”

“Got it,” Reddish replied as he started to walk away. “See you around, Leah.”

“Bye, David,” I said reluctantly. I didn’t want to be alone with Griggs. It was awkward and unpleasant. I’m not exactly sure why he had kissed me and then disappeared from my life, but I wasn’t going to ask. I hadn’t thought he would be interested in me in the first place. Although not traditionally handsome, Griggs is an extremely attractive and sexy man. After waiting weeks for him to call or come by, I finally chalked it up to a gaffe on his part. Instead of telling me he wasn’t interested, he simply disappeared. If I hadn’t found this body, I probably would have never seen him again except in passing.

We stood there in silence for a few moments before Griggs said, “You can leave now. Thank you for your patience.”

He sounded so formal and polite. I didn’t like it. I gathered Harry’s leash, pulled him up, and started to walk away. “Well, I guess…I guess I’ll see you around.”

Griggs stepped back and let me pass. I hadn’t gotten very far before I heard him call my name. When I turned around, he was standing in the same spot with an odd look on his face. He rubbed his hand across his head and then gave me a slight smile. “It was good to see you, Leah.”

“Uh, yeah, you too,” I stuttered before we both turned and walked away.

About the Author

B. L. Blair writes simple and sweet romance and mystery/romance stories. Like most authors, she has been writing most of her life and has dozens of books started. She just needs the time to finish them.

She is the author of the Holton Romance Series and the Leah Norwood Mysteries. She enjoys reading books, writing books, and traveling wherever and as often as time and money allows. She is currently working on her latest book set in Texas, where she lives with her family.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Thank you, Adrienne for letting me stop by and share my upcoming release, Tempted to Touch, which drops October 27, 2015 with your readers. Tempted to Touch is very special to me for three reasons:

1.I wrote Tempted to Touch while my own marriage was experiencing some difficulties.
2.Tempted to Touch is the very first book published by Inheritance Books, my independent publishing company. I still can’t believe I’m a business owner!!!
3.For the first time ever I used a first person narrator. It was a struggle, but I challenged myself and now I have a book.

Synopsis
Kira Seagram is frustrated by her husband Mason’s zeal for the Lord, so she pours all of her attention into her work and reserves her soprano singing skills for the shower. Kira would rather not use them if she get can’t the adoration and recognition she feels she deserves and doubts she’ll find singing lead for Mason’s choir. When a routine drop off at her son, Nate’s private school turns into a ten-year reunion with her ex-boyfriend, Quincy McAdams, Kira isn’t interested in Mason's half-hearted affection or willing to keep her voice to herself. With a firm offer from Quincy to help Kira cut a demo and possibly revive the love they let die, Kira has some choices to make.

When Kira finds herself tempted to touch will she remain faithful to her husband or yield to the desires of her flesh?

Excerpt

Preparation for
my day officially began when I entered Harvey’s
House of Java, which was just a few feet away from Nate’s school. After
securing a thirty-two ounce cup of coffee I pushed Nate towards the exit. We
moved in such a flurry there was no time for me to brace myself for a collision
with another parent during the morning Manhattan
shuffle. The Manhattan
shuffle was what I had dubbed the mad dash from the subway into the school and
out the door followed by a nod and wave at the principal, then you hurtle back
through the door desperately trying to avoid the president of the PTA who was
trying to corner you for your signature, a donation, or cupcakes.

I shook my head
and refocused my eyes on the hand that once safely cradled my cup of Joe, which
was now dripping from my fingertips and rolling up the sleeve of my trench
coat.

“Are you okay,
Ma?” Nate inquired, looking up at me.

“I’m sorry,
Kira,” a familiar voice said with his head bent in my direction and his hand
full of tissues extended towards me.

“Ma, are you
okay?” Nate asked again tugging on the strap of my suede tan hobo. No, I’m
stuck on stupid. Thankfully that didn’t come out of my mouth. I replied
with a strong and soothing, “Yes. Hun, I’m fine,” before snatching the napkins
from the palm of Quincy McAdams.

“Uh…who is
this?” Nate asked doing his best imitation of his father’s gruff voice.

“Nathan, this
is Mr. McAdams, an old friend of mine,” I said doing my best to appear pleasant
and mask the nature of our relationship.

Quincy hiked up the legs of his tailored slate
grey trousers and crouched down to Nate’s height. “Nice to meet you, Nathan.”
He extended a balled up fist for Nate to tap. “You know,” he drew back the
sleeve of his blazer and glanced at his watch, “in about two minutes you will
officially be marked late and I would hate for that to happen.”

Please don’t
leave me alone with six feet of fineness who was, by the looks of it, a lil’
bit too delighted to have spilled my coffee. I waved back trying to see past the face in
front of me. EmblemAcademy was a few
feet away from Joe’s House of Java, but I wasn’t worried about Nate’s safety, I
was concerned about my own. I wanted to look away from his monsoon-deep
eyes, but I was too dazzled to turn away. Quincy
didn’t waste a moment seizing upon my apparent weakness; he inched closer as I
backed away.

“Kira, if you
keep backing up you’re going to crash into another person. Stop playing.” He
grabbed the underside of the sleeve on my coat pulling me in closer. “I’m not
going to bite you. I just wanted to wipe the coffee off your arm before I hug
you.”

Nigeria Lockley possesses two master's degrees, one in English secondary education, which she utilizes as an educator with the New York City Department of Education. Her second master's degree is in creative writing. Nigeria's debut novel, Born at Dawn received the 2015 Phillis Wheatley Award for First Fiction. Nigeria serves as the Vice President of Bridges Family Services, a not-for-profit organization that assists student parents interested in pursuing a degree in higher education. She is also the deaconess and clerk for her spiritual home, King of Kings and Lord of Lords Church of God. Nigeria is a New York native who resides in Harlem with her husband and two daughters.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Bernice McFadden writes the kind of fiction I enjoy--stories full of love, loss, and life. I found this book impossible to put down and felt the words on the pages come to life as I read. I am adding this book to my list of favorites and am so glad I spent a few hours with Easter and company. This book, for me, was more than a good read, it was an experience, an event. Highly recommend!

Sean Flynn is a man with an appetite for fine women. This key element happens to be his greatest downfall. Flynn has always been loved, even worshipped by women from all walks of life. He's had his share of wealthy southern belles, princesses, a spoiled heiress, sensual intellectual types and most recently, a powerful professional diva. Though having very little in common with these women that crave this blue collar, tattooed Irishman, Flynn's been able to secure their affections. In many ways, he is living a life that most men would sell their souls for. But don't be fooled. Being desired by the best of women comes at a price, especially when these women are meant to be untouchable. Of all the men in the world, only Sean Flynn has been capable of setting them straight, and laying the pipe just right.

After consistently finding himself in trouble with the law, even having served time for lack of control, Flynn looks to make a change. But since he's already set the stage for the wrong types of relations, how can he so easily walk away?

As Flynn continues down this self-destructive path, he finds solace in an unlikely savior, yet another woman. Judge Lauryn Lomax is thrust into his life. Though she's attached, connected and indebted to career criminals, Lauryn refuses to give up on this man she barely knows.
Flynn has never relied on luck, in fact, it's consistently played against his favor. But when the right woman comes along, one that is willing to brave hell for his sake even as her own life hangs in the balance, can he believe that all things are possible?

“What should I call you?” I ask as he takes a seat directly in front of my desk. I remove my robe. After placing it one side, I half sit-half lean against the edge of the desk. My gaze rests on his hands, mainly the way his fists flex while he draws his fingers inward and out.
“Under normal circumstances,” I begin, unsure of why I'm so compelled to proceed, yet needing to make sure he is and will always be okay. Though it's a treat to have him come before my bench, it might not always be my bench and he certainly wouldn’t always be this lucky. “Under normal circumstances, you would call me Judge Lomax or Your Honor. For now however, I’d like to set aside all formalities. Call me Lauryn.”
I smirk when his eyebrows shoot up. And when his tongue trails out from between his lips, I stand up and walk off towards the window. With that move of his, I'm bound to straddle his lap and forget myself altogether.
“This is a dangerous game, Lauryn,” Flynn warns from out of left field. I face him, finding it necessary to secure several inches, maybe even feet between us. He's still seated, but instead of sitting on the edge leans back into the chair. “Are you looking to step into the dark side? If so, that’s not me. But Lauryn, you appear to be innocent enough-“
Innocent? I almost want to laugh. Sure I'm capable of presenting an air of innocence, but that's a whole other story. “I’m only looking to help you out, Mr-“
“Just Flynn, that’s all,” he scolds, then gives me permission to proceed with a nod.
“I’m only looking to help you get back on track, Flynn.” I pace amongst the sunlight from the window, then finally move to the shades, slowly sauntering closer to where he remains.
“Why Lauryn?” he squints, taking one leg, bending the knee and resting the ankle of his boots over the other side knee. He wreaks of arrogance, even in the simplistic gestures. Without actually asking, without any type of force, I feel a pull to do whatever it takes to set him straight. When he asks why, I honestly can't give an answer, only that it's a done deal.
How can I convince him that it's just something I'm compelled to do? Other than the fact that he's sparked areas in and throughout my body, I can't come up with a feasible explanation. For someone that had flown through grade school like it was a kiddie race, and tackled undergrad and law school before their peers could blink, I am at a loss. Moreover, this isn't a want. This is a need to do whatever it takes to help him. So instead of answering the question and breaking the silence, I reach around my desk for my card. When I return back around to face him, Flynn has finally gotten up from the chair. He's within breathing distance, by breathing I mean to the point where we're literally exchanging air directly.
Two inches…just two inches separate us.
Neither one of us move. For more than ten seconds, we exist not as judge and criminal, or Flynn and Lauryn. We're man and woman. My neck is strained as I look up into his gorgeous face. His pupils examine me with a hint of curiosity; as for mine, I can only imagine. My heartbeat pulsates everywhere, and all at once. He's large enough and wide enough to take me into his arms; while I'm presently weak enough to let him. I'm set to collapse at any moment..
“Are you okay?” Flynn asks, showing a gentler side.
And I consider playing the innocent, vulnerable damsel in distress. For a second I toy with the idea of having him carry me over to one of the sofas. Totally inappropriate. And then I get a vision of Dmitri. Oh yes, the man I'm supposed to marry. “I’m fine, Flynn. Here’s my card. Reach out on Friday, please."
He takes the card, and leaves without another word.
I rush to the door, bracing my forehead against it. With palms pressed against my chest, I try to soothe the scorching of raw desire. I scold my thudding heart and try to refocus on the man I had already swore to love for life.

Mz. Jae is a loving mother, sister, daughter and friend. She is devoted to feeding into others whenever possible. The author prides herself on being bold enough to write with conviction, yet unpretentious enough to respect the craft. She enjoys writing in several different genres, with an ultimate goal of simply providing literature that readers can escape with whenever need be.

Breathe Again

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About Me

Lover of God and all that He has created. Mother of 3. Music fanatic. Writer.
Growing up, I loved making up stories and playing make believe. Now, I do all of that for a living. http://adriennethompsonwrites.webs.com